MOTEGI, Japan—Target Chip Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti head into the final IndyCar race of the season in a go-for-broke showdown. Things are a little more complicated for Ryan Briscoe after a mishap in the Indy Japan 300 dropped the Team Penske driver to third place in the standings. Dixon, the 2008 champion, won the next-to-last race of the season in Japan to move into first place in the standings ahead of Franchitti and Briscoe.

LEXINGTON, Ohio—Scott Dixon became IndyCar’s leader in career victories yesterday, pulling away from the field to capture the Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. The victory was Dixon’s fourth of the season and 20th of his IndyCar career, breaking a tie with former series star Sam Hornish Jr. Dixon entered the record books with ease, taking the lead from Justin Wilson halfway through the race then pouring it on to win by nearly 30 seconds over pole sitter Ryan Briscoe.

Scott Dixon can thank Helio Castroneves for his good fortune—and his second SunTrust Indy Challenge victory last night at Richmond International Raceway. Dixon, whose 19th career Indy Racing League win ties him with Sam Hornish Jr. for the most, led the final 161 laps for his first victory at RIR since 2003. Dixon took the checkered flag nearly a half-second ahead of his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, pole-sitter Dario Franchitti.

As omens go, the start of the SunTrust Indy Challenge seemed to have a very bad one. Jacques Lazier ran into the wall before completing the first lap, bringing out a caution flag. During his interview soon after that—a guy who doesn’t finish a lap gets interviewed?—Lazier managed to say how sorry he was to let down the Novicomm LED Lighting Technology team.

Dario Franchitti, who won the SunTrust Indy Challenge in 2007, said unlike in NASCAR, IndyCar Series drivers are really teammates. He and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon worked together yesterday during practice in an effort to share valuable information that will give them an edge in tonight’s race. However, Franchitti acknowledges he’s prepared to draw the line. But he’ll stop short of taking out his teammate with the checkered flag within site.

Scott Dixon, the reigning IndyCar Series champion, hails from Auckland, New Zealand. Based in Indianapolis, but with its drivers spanning the globe, the IndyCar series is faced with a quandary. With the vast majority of races contested in America, are prominent American drivers—in contention for wins and in league promotion efforts—important?